George Percival's Father

A simple description can only ever fit the Percival Family…and it was that we were Mentally Willed.

Since the birth of each son and daughter that came since the 25th legacy of the Percival blood, each one came out just as strong willed than any other child in the empire. Because of this known perception in our blood, our family raised their reputation through blood and tears…through wars and politics…and through our blades and technique, it came to a point that we became a symbol of true knighthood in the empire.

One man in particular that came to actually raise the Percival name to its peak was my father…

Vendigo Percival the fourth.

He was a caring man, a father and a husband to my mother…

He loved to plant trees to a point that he has made a house simply for the process of supporting his hobby. He said that planting trees was a way to keep his mind straight and calm…

He loved to carry his sword by his hip wherever he goes, even when he goes to sit by the porch to watch as me and my sister trained, he smiled and would always take the time to try and involve himself in our training in the path of the sword.

And he loved to pray…he prayed simply for the comfort of relying to our god for peace and prosperity.

Each time we came and bonded as father and son, he would say to me to trust in the ways of our fate…that we should have faith in the God that we prayed to each night.

But our time together didn't last as for one rainy night…

After I just became a man fit of age to be wed to my beloved, I found my father sitting by the fireplace as he sipped his tea…

Mother was also there, yet despite this moment of bonding between the two, mother looked rather sad…as if she could not take in the words of what my father had just said to her…

I could only ever watch as she cried over his shoulders, as if she was pleading him not to do anything…

Yet my father, he gently pulled her away from his body and he kissed her for one last time…

And with his sword by his hip…he stood at the front door, looking afar into a wagon that was waiting in the raining night with a weary expression.

I tried to call out to him, but he simply ignored my call…

Yet for one last time, he spoke as if he noticed me…

"Your the man of the house now. So please, take care of your mother and sister."

And with that, he left.

40 years has passed since then…

And since then, I never did came to find out why he left the house…mother wouldn't tell me why, so I simply lived with the mystery of why my father left.

I tired everything that I could with my own power. From searching for him from highs to lows, for years…but nothing, not one single clue about him came to view. In time I gave up…and instead, I hoped that one day he would come home out of his own will…

My name is George Percival, the current Patriarch of the Percival House…

Along with me on this house was my Wife Alice who came and gave me four children. Two boys who became men and rose up to be part of the Imperial Dragons, Tyson and Orion Percival. Two Daughters, one who continues to train under our home in the scorching heat in the hopes of making a name for herself, and one who was blessed with magic and now studies to become a proper mage from a distant school out of the Dragon Empire.

And finally my mother, who sits by the window…looking over the greenhouse where she would sometimes visit to take care of our Father's abandoned plants.

I've managed everything that I can mainly for the purpose of seeing to it that the blood of my family continues to run. And I'm happy to know that even without my fathers approval, I will pass my part to my children.

"..." currently I was in my home, where I just came from the demonstration of what was to be a important piece in rescuing the princess of the empire. This so called barrier. I saw the potential of the power that was shown to us, and along with it, I saw Josy Brune who was also there by coincidence. Him being there made me remember of the contract that we made for the sake of this one particular project. The project to revive the magic Sword use from ancient times.

When the king assumed that Josy was carrying this so called Magic sword, and when he affirmed the King's assumption, I was smiling from ear to ear as I watched from the sidelines. I even caught Josy look to me and nodded as if he was sure of himself that he had accomplished such a weapon.

At first when we came to propose this project, I would have never thought that he had done it in just a day. but by actually accomplishing it in the time given, I can't help but be ecstatic of what were the results going to be shown from his work.

And as I continued to work on my desk, I heard the knocking of my door, and behind it, my wife Alice came and told me what came.

"What is it?" I asked.

"He's here George. Josy is here." as she said those words, I quickly stood from my chair in excitement. But before I could move away, she had said something.

"Um, he says that he has something to show." she said.

"If its about the Magic sword, we can have it be shown just outside the training grounds." I said.

"N-no, its something else." she said rather in a nervous tone.

"What is it then?" I asked, wondering why she looked rather unease by this.

"...He said he wants to meet you in private."

For some reason, I felt rather nervous as well. Something was wrong with how she reacted…and by assuming this, I can only ever relieve myself if I see to it that Josy shows me what he intends to show.

"...Very well, invite him in."

And with that said, my wife left and I readied myself for what was to come. I came and pulled out two cups of glasses from my cupboard and a bottle of rum from the shelf.

"..." with seconds of waiting, my heart continued to beat rather faster than normal…and with it, as it came to pass, I heard the footsteps of a couple of people making their way to my office.

"...?!" when the door opened, I saw the face of Josy who was walking up to me with a nervous expression. And with him, the man who demonstrated an artifact was also with him.

I was curious as to why both of them were here, but knowing how Josy was there in the demonstration at the palace, I could only assume that they know each other.

"...Josy, have you come to deliver the magic sword?" I asked.

"...I have…but there is another matter to discuss with you regarding about your families situation." he said.

"...My families situation?" when I asked, I turned to look at the man next to him, but he only looked to me with a nervous expression. I can't really say what to make of him other than for the fact that he must have been involved with something.

"Shay, please show him the Sword Hilt." when Josy came to request of the man, this so called Shay pulled out a piece of object from his bag and showed me an item that seems to make me feel reminiscent.

"...Sword hilt?" when asking for this item, I turned to his hand…and there, I saw a familiar handle.

"..." looking at it, I could not figure out what it was…although it was at the tip of my tongue, I could not process what it was to me…

But all of a sudden, my door opened again, and there, I saw my mother walking slowly up to Shay with a rather weary expression.

"Mother?" as I called out to her, wondering why she was here in my office in the first place, she only ever reached out to the item that was on the man's hand.

"Ah…Vendigo, my darling." as she called out to my long lost father's name, a sudden image began pops into my head.

"I-it can't be!!" I say as I looked rather shocked by what I just remembered.

"That hilt…that's from my father's." I say as I went to walk up further to take a better view.

"..." And there, my mother would only ever cuddle in to the hilt like it was the hand of her husband. I could not take it away from her.

"...Where did you find this?" I asked Josy, looking at him with a rather desperate expression.

"I wasn't the one who found it…it was him." he said as he pointed to Shay.

"I found it inside deep a forest, a forest that's part of the Flat Bioma." he said.

"Can you tell me the details? Where exactly did you find this hilt? Did it have a blade along with it?" I asked, rather desperately.

"I found the sword stabbed at a skeleton right beside an old worn out wagon. The blade was already rusted when I came to find it and I don't exactly know the name of the forest, but I can at least show you to where it was specifically." he said.

And hearing his description, my knees began to weaken, but I had to hold my stance. If I fell know, I could only ever look weak in front of my mother. But my mother…the moment Shay spoke out of a skeleton's body being pierced by this sword, she had already lost power in her legs.

There, she fainted on the spot.

Shay was quick enough to catch her, so we had to move her in the chair to rest. Seeing her condition, I had to call out to a maid to request for a doctor.

Hearing me shout, my wife came barging into the room, and along with her, was my daughter and her friend, Lady Serena Modelva.

"What happened?" asked Alice. But seeing my mother's position, she hurried to her side in support of her.

There, it took a minute before my mother began to shed in tears. Everyone became worried, but I had to keep it together. With the room being rather full of people, I had to ask my daughter to prepare a few things.

"Shiela, open the windows and get some tea for your grandmother."

My daughter didn't wasted anytime and quickly went to handle my orders. And before long, our personal doctor came to check on her condition.

Since it would take a minute for my mother to calm herself and for the doctor to see the problem, I had to bring Josy and Shay outside to explain the full details.

"Tell me, is this true?" I asked.

"..." and Shay could only ever nod at my question, certain of what has happened.

"...So it was in the Flat Bioma after all…*Sigh*" I could only ever sigh in worry. My doubts had been killing me since the start of the search for my father…but it always bothered me that I never came to get any information regarding the places like the Flat Bioma. And although it was logical that a dangerous place like Bioma was hard to get information on, I always had a hunch that chances like this were worth looking into. But I could never ask someone to risk their lives searching in the bioma against all the dangers that comes with it. All I had to rely on was the luck that someday, something would come out.

And now, it did…and it came from the man who walked out of the Flat Bioma unscathed.

"...You said that you found this sword out in the forest?" I asked.

"...I did?" he wondered.

"Can you tell me anything about the body?"

"I don't know. I didn't really took a close look at it but it was just like any other skeleton, I think."

"...I see. But you said that it was pierced at the body, correct?"

"Y-yes."

"..Hmm." It could only ever mean that this sword didn't come from my father's corpse, yet the chances are never zero. If it was a different man, I might have a chance to prove it if I have a sample from the skeleton itself. And to do that, I need this boy's help.

"...I'm having a hard time processing this, but thank you for bringing me back my Father's hilt. With it, we have a piece of him back at home. In return for your help, I'll give you fifty gold for your service." Normally, it would simply be around 15 gold for a simple clue about my father, but seeing as how this man gave me a clue that would probably lead to my father's whereabouts, fifteen gold isn't enough.

"Ah...Thank you." he said.

"I'll have the maids hand over the money after my mother has been cared for. But for now, why don't you rest by the training grounds. I'll send some snacks while you wait and I'll meet you there, where we can discuss about the other matter." as I said this, Josy and Shay left me to my own, to go to that training grounds to look over the house.

For now, I have to plan…to process everything that has happened today.

As I turned back, I saw the glimpse of the portrait of my father, looking ahead with his gallant stance while he wore his armor and sword by his hand.

"...It really is his hilt." without question, the hilt was the exact image as that of the portrait. It was without a doubt that my father's hilt has been returned.